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The Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, yesterday, led a delegation of opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament to the Jubilee House to present a petition to the President.
The delegation was received at the forecourt of the Presidency by the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah.
Dressed in sharp dark suits and black kaftans, the NPP lawmakers arrived at the Jubilee House car park, drawing the attention of security personnel and staff.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh said that while all political parties had contributed to the building of the country’s democracy, the violence experienced at the July 11 Ablekuma North partial parliamentary rerun had left the minority worried.
Aside from the violence of the rerun in Ablekuma North, Mr Annoh-Dompreh said the opposition was also worried about the surge in illegal mining, commonly called galamsey.
The Chief of Staff, accompanied by other senior government officials, welcomed the Minority MPs with handshakes and brief conversations, setting a tone of mutual respect despite their political differences.
The Deputy Chief of Staff, Stan Dogbe, who received the petition on behalf of the Chief of Staff, assured the MPs that the petition would be forwarded to the President for prompt attention.
He commended the Minority for adopting a diplomatic approach in presenting their grievances.
The petition, whose contents were not immediately disclosed, is believed to touch on key national issues that the NPP caucus wants the government to address.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic after the presentation, the MP for New Juaben South, Michael Okyere Baafi, described the engagement as "constructive" and expressed optimism that the concerns raised in the petition would be addressed.
"We are here as representatives of the people, and it is our duty to ensure that their voices are heard at the highest level of government," he stated.
As the meeting concluded, the lawmakers and government officials shared light moments, with laughter and backslaps filling the air in a rare display of camaraderie.
Details of the petition, as revealed by other Minority MPs, indicated that they want the President to immediately declare a National State of Emergency in all illegal mining zones, invoking Article 31 of the Constitution to halt what they claim to be escalating environmental degradation.
They also demanded the outright repeal of Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, passed under the previous administration, which they argue has been exploited to shield illegal miners instead of regulating the sector.
They further called for the swift prosecution of government and party officials complicit in galamsey activities, insisting that no political ally should be spared in the enforcement of the law.
Additionally, the Minority proposed the formation of an independent multi-stakeholder commission comprising civil society groups, traditional leaders, academia and religious bodies to oversee and restore credibility to the anti-galamsey fight.
They indicated the need to empower state agencies like the Forestry Commission and the Water Resources Commission with greater legal authority and operational resources to combat illegal mining effectively.
The petition warned that without decisive structural reforms, the destruction of forests and pollution of water bodies would persist unchecked.
As a long-term solution, the Minority urged the government to launch a national environmental recovery programme focused on large-scale afforestation, river restoration and public education on sustainable environmental practices.
